Benedict Cumberbatch: 'I didn't say Sherlock was ending'

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Benedict Cumberbatch has denied hinting that Sherlock is coming to an end, accusing the media of distorting his quote that the upcoming fourth series is the "last one - for now".

Benedict Cumberbatch will always do more Sherlock "if it's right".

The 40-year-old actor has been portraying the legendary sleuth in a BBC adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tales since 2010, with a fourth series returning to screens next year (17).

It was reported earlier this month (Oct16) that Benedict had hinted at the impending end of the show, by saying the next series marks the "end of an era".

But in a new interview, Benedict has insisted his quote was distorted, and he is keen to star in the programme for as long as possible.

"We love doing the show and all I'll say about it is that we're all very busy, we're all doing other things now and you'll have to see the fourth season to realise why, for now, it's not going to happen again at the same regularity that it has been happening," he told the Associated Press.

"But we'll see, we'll never say never and when it's right, and if it's right, we'll do more."

He added that the journalist who conducted the original interview for GQ magazine had "tried to make something sensational" out of what he had said, leading to a "complete distortion" of his original quote. Benedict insisted he had actually said the upcoming fourth series was "the last one - for now".

He was instead quoted in GQ magazine as saying: "It might be the end of an era. It feels like the end of an era, to be honest. It goes to a place where it will be pretty hard to follow on immediately.

"We never say never on the show. I'd love to revisit it, I'd love to keep revisiting it, I stand by that, but in the immediate future we all have things that we want to crack on with and we've made something very complete as it is, so I think we'll just wait and see."

Martin Freeman will also be back as Sherlock's loveable sidekick Doctor Watson in the next series.